


Heart Strings by Fate

by yeorral



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Slight bit of angst, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2020-05-16 11:22:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19317178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeorral/pseuds/yeorral
Summary: A different life, a different time, a different universe.Baekhyun pays for Chanyeol's karma, all because of love.





	1. Chapter 1

-’~’-  
“Booba!”  
A screamy voice was heard from across the empty hall, creating echo that Baekhyun thought would match that of a voice actor who wanted to achieve the perfect dinosaur yelp.

He actively rolled his eyes to the back of his head, but soon his lips curled into a delightful smile. Taking friendship comebacks seriously, he stood in the center of the hall and opened his arms wide. A constant smile on his face, he bravely screamed back, “Broda!”

His best friend ran and hugged Baekhyun, who grimaced and almost fell after that fierce embrace.

“When will you stop calling me that ugly name?”, he chuckled.

“That bag’s ugly!”

Baekhyun didn't take long to gasp dramatically. That comeback was worthy of kicks in the butt, in his respective opinion! "My superduperlicious summer vacation bag is UGLY?!"

Of course, the duo was just having fun insulting the other. The two grew up together and never separated, because their bond was as strong as one of two happy brothers. Given this, a whole summer away from each other was rather boring. 

Jongdae scrunched his nose in response and smiled fake-comfortingly. “No college man purchases naruto merchandise anymore, Baek.”

_I swear, this guy!!!_

Baekhyun was about to protest, when a man with the same big bag, summer clothes of casualness and a cap stood there after he came up by the elevator, hearing Jongdae say that.

“I do.”

The two college boys flinched, an action caused by the rather deep voice that was heard, and immediately turned their heads towards it. Baekhyun scanned the man from head to toe and felt his insides drop. Weird, because he inwardly didn’t want to admit he got flustered after seeing a man.

Jongdae grimaced at the bag and cursed his luck. “No one except from you two.”

The man’s face showed satisfaction, a little dimple appearing when he smiled. He eyed Baekhyun, raising his eyebrows monumentally, and walked away, perhaps to get in his apartment. Baekhyun felt like throwing up.

Because of his minor shyness when it came to new people, that’s all.

Jongdae looked at Baekhyun and waved his hand in front of his face as he blabbered, “Come on, let’s get in your apartment! Man, am I thirsty.”, gaining an eye-roll from the other who hit his arm and grabbed his bag, pulling him towards his apartment.

Summer vacation was almost at its near end, having only two weeks left. The duo decided to meet in Seoul early, so they could have a taste of the holidays together. Both of them would be away at their parents’ house for the summer, so they thought it was only fair to do that.

They both threw their bags and ran to the kitchen, longing for water. Baekhyun’s groaning, consuming a whole bottle of water quickly.

“Is the water in my house better?”, he deadpanned. “I almost choked because of you!”

Jongdae almost spat his water, Baekhyun smirking at the reaction. “You should be thankful I, Kim Jong Dae, drink it. Who would consume anything coming from your house-”

Baekhyun grabbed his ear and looked at him with wide eyes. “I’ll feed you my splendid ramen today.”, he hissed. “You better appreciate it, Kim Jong Dae.”, he whispered while saying the other’s name in a mocking manner.

Jongdae nodded with a pained expression and motioned him to let his ear, the latter doing so with a smile. Baekhyun them proceeded to jump on his bed and take his phone out while Jongdae was rubbing his ear, wondering how him and his friend would spend their 2 weeks together.

Maybe they should get their other buddies to tag along with them in that… strange...after-high-school adventure.

“By the way, who was that guy earlier?”, Jongdae suddenly asked as he began searching the cardboard. “His bag was as ugly as yours.”

The latter hissed at the comment about his bag, but limited his response to the question only.

“I think he’s new here.”, he pondered for a second. “Never seen him before.”

Jongdae turned around and sat beside Baekhyun, munching a chocolate bar he discovered in the latter’s tiny apartment. “Bold of him to admit he owns a naruto bag.”, he pouted his lips in fake-thinking, his words fading away in the air. “Brave, Brave man…”

“One more negative comment about naruto and I’ll use your body parts to make ramen later.”  
\---  
Jongdae stayed at Baekhyun’s house for almost the whole day, only leaving at night to organize his own little apartment.

Both of the boys had graduated and were ready (kind of) to spend their college years in Seoul, away from their families. Hard thing to do, but their bond was seemingly very unbreakable, making their future world that was full of worries a little better. Baekhyun, on the one hand, would begin his college striving to become a singer, one who would brighten people’s hearts, clearing them out into a mass of joyful emotions. That’s what he had always wished for. Jongdae changed his mind last minute and went for the same path, leaving his previous college purposes fly away and sink into his past. Personal reasons as to why he chose differently, but the cool thing (as the duo thought) was that they would be attending the same college, both chasing the same dream.

Baekhyun liked how things turned out to be.

He stood by his window, tapping his fingers on the glass, making it look as if his fingers were pressing the stars in the sky. His window was big, big enough for him to place a pillow by it and lay down with a blanket, keeping the night cold away.

His heavy eyes caught a glimpse of a tall man, his new neighbor, carrying one big box to the building. They followed the figure till it disappeared from the view.

Nothing important, of course. Just as if his eyes strangely had followed a cat crossing the street.

That, being the last image his brain captured before he fell into a deep sleep.  
\---  
Heavy, bright sunlight poured into his room when the next morning came.

Baekhyun had decided he was either a psycho or his dreams were just very realistic, because he would bet his LIFE that his ears had caught the faded sounds of a guitar while he was sleeping. A voice was accompanying the sad song, and Baekhyun didn’t realize it had put him further into sleep.

_That’s what you get for watching too many movies with Jongdae, you stupid._

He rubbed his eyes slowly and checked his phone, that lit up as messages had appeared.

 

Jongd*** - 11:02 am  
I have the BOMBEST idea

Jongd*** - 11:32 am  
Wake up you fuck

Jongd*** - 11:40 am  
Ok just come by my place when you’re not going through hibernation

Baekhyun rolled his eyes, as it was expected, and began to slowly do his morning routine.

It didn’t take him very long to get out of the door, black hair put to place (kind of) and normal airy clothes on, nothing fancy. Jongdae lived on the floor right above his, on apartment 24.

“No naruto bag?”

He heard and his heart flipped at how deep the voice sounded. Mornings must have not been doing him justice with just how raspy he sounded.

He looked behind him just when the elevator invited him in. His new neighbor was right behind him, coffee on his hands, waiting to get inside.

“I’m joking, please do get inside before the elevator goes up.”, he chuckled a little.

They both got inside and Baekhyun soon began noticing the elevator’s odd… atmosphere. His face was always very expressive and at that moment his confusion showed, successfully gaining a few confused glares back from a couple standing in the corner.

He bowed apologetically, but, really, he didn’t intend to make the situation awkward. He _actually_ sensed something strange, something that he couldn’t fathom at the time being.

He turned his head and saw his neighbor standing at the very back, arms crossed and face unreadable.

_Maybe he feels it too, just that he is being indifferent about it._

_Maybe everyone does?_

Baekhyun swallowed his worries down as a high pitched sound was heard, signaling that the elevator had stopped on the second floor, and quickly followed the couple outside, hurriedly striding to apartment 24, where his friend was waiting for him.

_Oh, no. Don’t glue your eyes on me this intensely._

_You can never know how much I’m not able to control that. It's not in my nature._

He swore he was left with a wave of sadness inside of him as soon as he had abandoned the elevator.

“FINALLY, oh my God.”, exclaimed Jongdae when he opened the door to witness Baekhyun standing outside like he had seen a ghost. “Were you being chased by a cursed vintage porcelain doll?”

Baekhyun hissed and got inside, jumping on the other’s couch. “Quit watching so many thriller movies, you psycho!”

Jongdae began laughing weirdly, stopping only a little while to take a bite from his sandwich. “Ready to hear my bomb idea?”

The latter wore a strange expression on his face. “Yeah, I’m scared about that.”, he said, gaining a deadpan from the other that he ignored.

“We’re gonna host a mini party in my apartment!”, Jongdae grinned as if his idea was the most creative and smartest one of them all. “We’ll invite all of the others and-”

“Tell me you aren’t going to bring a bunch of strangers too, because if you do that-”

“No, no.”, his grin became wider. “We’ll bring girls.”

Baekhyun smiled a little bit but it wasn’t very genuine. He didn’t have a lot of experience with dating but he had girls in his shoes before. It always made him feel loved, but girls at parties were being more than friendly, just like many other weird dudes. Baekhyun never felt weird over girls being invited, and certainly not this time either. Just that he didn’t want odd interactions, of course.

“Maybe you’ll finally get laid.”

Baekhyun deadpanned and scoffed at the other’s comment. “For your information, I have-”

“-done absolutely nothing so I’m making excuses.”,mocked Jongdae and smirked a bit. “Take this party as an opportunity, buddy. We all will.”

The other was about to protest but only shrugged in response, thinking of a possible scenario at the party and cringing at it in the end. Jongdae was left there hanging and longing for a positive reaction, something that Baekhyun noticed and, for that, he decided to look a bit more excited.

“Alright, no biggie.”


	2. Chapter 2

Another sunny, quite joyful day had come, and Baekhyun felt like going for a walk. 

 

He had been walking for 15 minutes with an ice cream cone on one of his hands, his eyes wandering around the seemingly new (to him) road. Assuming it wouldn’t lead him very far away, he walked more but his eyes suddenly widened in surprise when he noticed something familiar.

 

“Hey! That’s where I live!”, he smiled wide, noticing the little red bricks on the top of the building that always made him realize he’s home. But, a strange look appeared on his face. “When did…”, he pondered, his words fading in the warm breeze. Everything seemed like an uncertain blur to him, because his eyesight had been failing him since he was 13. For that, he approached the building a little more and ,quickly, a look of surprise painted his face.

 

A big terrace that was inviting the northern view of the city in its embrace, built high just for someone to be able to enjoy the said view from up far. Baekhyun assumed it was built during his long time away and grinned widely. He personally adored places like these because they would remind him of his childhood, when little him would sleep in the little patio his family owned back in his hometown.

 

_I walked a whole circle back to the building I live in… My mind!_

 

The terrace would surely be a place he’d visit the following days.

                                                         ---

 

Jongd*** -   5:07 pm

 

Saturday night at 9 pm. Bring alcohol

 

Baekhyun - 5:10 pm

 

Got it

Saturday night, 9 pm. One of the many parties, but now with the high school spirit dying out slowly. To be honest, none of them were very good with the alcohol aftermaths, except from Minseok, their eldest friend. Most of them were friends since little kids as well, with Yixing being their newest friend, who had come from China to Korea as a transfer student. 

 

They had done pretty good socially.

 

Baekhyun scooped the last bit of ice cream from the little box and inwardly hoped that the alcohol wouldn’t make him look like a zombie the day after the party.

 

A while after, he heard knocks coming from his door and exhaled loudly. His legs were _cramping_ , even though it had been a few days since he took that 1 hour walk.

 

“I should consider the consequences of a 1 hour walk more often.”, he complained as he got up to open the door, meeting with a surprise. 

 

“Jongdae?”,he questioned because they had _just_ texted each other, “Why’d you come-”

 

“Boob, you HAVE to come to the backyard with me right now.”, he raised his eyebrows, indicating that he was in a bit of a hurry. Baekhyun didn’t respond, he only followed the other as he was walking towards the backyard quickly. 

 

_Is he like that because of the terrace? Why would Jongdae even care that much about it…_

 

His questions were soon answered.

 

People and tension were filling the backyard, as everyone was forming a circle around something with concerned looks all over their faces.

 

Baekhyun couldn’t understand why, so he approached the scene by passing through the small crowd of his neighbors, and his breath got caught in his throat.

 

A man was laying on the ground with a pained look on his face, gasping for air. Baekhyun noticed his dirty clothes and thought he was a worker of some sort. His eyes travelled back to the man’s face and his heart sank, instant prayers filling his mind. 

 

A lady was crying next to Baekhyun, and he looked up at her to pat her shoulder in sympathy.

 

“Excuse me, Mrs. Soo, but what happened to him?”

 

Said Mrs. Soo wiped her tears and sighed quietly. “He was fixing the light bulb on the part of the building, just next to the terrace, you see?”, she pointed, “Right there. The height isn’t fatally dangerous but we all got scared.”,she said hesitantly. “A passenger informed us that he was using the terrace for support, but…”. Baekhyun noticed the small broken part of the terrace and gulped. “That part of the terrace had gotten weak a month ago and he didn’t notice.”

 

Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. “Why did they leave it weak?”

 

“Lack of money.”,she sighed in disbelief.

 

“Yeah, right.”, said a fuming but still concerned Baekhyun. “Had money to build a whole terrace and left a part of it unfinished.”, he said to himself and smiled to the lady comfortingly. He took a last glance at the man and walked back to Jongdae, who was more than scared, judging by his face.

 

“He’s alive, don’t worry.”, he patted Jongdae’s head and the latter’s eyes widened. 

 

“I cannot believe this happened.”

 

He walked forward to take a closer look as well, leaving Baekhyun alone in the back for a little. Leaving him back at his thoughts about the incident, and how he had been planning to go up the terrace that night.

 

“What an unfortunate day...”

 

Baekhyun’s ears suddenly heard the deep voice he hadn’t heard in a while, and he quickly turned to face the guy, who had seemingly been standing next to him for a short while. The other looked back at him, a sign of sadness in his eyes but no fear, confusing Baekhyun to a great extent. “Let’s hope he’ll be okay.”, Baekhyun heard once again and his eyes followed the guy as he turned to leave. 

 

Baekhyun kept looking behind him, until the other’s back left his sight, becoming a blur, just like the terrace he didn’t examine fully a few days ago.

                                                       ---

 

The terrace was soon announced a forbidden area of the building till reconstruction, drowning Baekhyun’s past plans of visiting it.

 

It was officially Saturday, the party day. Baekhyun had worn his black jeans and a white shirt, proceeding to comb his hair a little to look more prepped. He stared at the mirror and sighed.

 

_Off to a long night…_

 

He got out of the apartment and checked his phone as it lit up. 

 

Jongd*** - 8:55 pm

 

Hurry up you ass

 

Baekhyun - 8:56 pm

 

I have 4 minutes left yoU asS.

 

He hissed and put his phone in his pocket, rubbing his neck in distress. He couldn’t hide the fact that he was still thinking about the incident.

 

Taking the elevator, he reached the second floor. It only took him two steps forward and a careful look to notice the guy in front of him again, who had stopped in his tracks suddenly.

 

The two were staring at each other, but Baekhyun didn’t miss how the other’s eyes averted quickly.

 

_Why won’t you let me read you?_

 

Why did he care anyway?

 

The stranger gave him another neutral look and walked in the elevator. However, Baekhyun couldn’t help but stare at him again, only missing his figure when the elevator doors closed.

 

Even though he had been feeling weird for staring at a stranger this badly, the other had been doing the same thing as well. 

 

None of them knew why.

 

None of them bothered to ask, and continued their day as if nothing had happened.

 

Baekhyun to the party and the stranger to his own destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp


	3. Chapter 3

“Baekhyun!”

 

The apartment had dim lighting and more space than usual, music playing and a kitchen full of food and alcohol. Baekhyun averted his head to notice a friend, Jongin, coming towards him with a smile and a cup of some sort of alcoholic drink. 

 

“It’s been so long!”. Baekhyun felt himself getting sank into Jongin’s muscly and big (bigger than his at least) body and instantly the other’s heat transferred into Baekhyun, giving him the chills.

 

“How hot is it in here?”, he joked (but not really) and the latter pouted his lips disappointed.

“Jongdae’s air conditioning controller got lost.” 

 

Baekhyun laughed and said, “He’s such a dumbass.”, hearing the other’s chuckles echoing in the room. He had a distinctive laughing pattern.

 

“What are you guys laughing about?”

 

They heard the others come to them and, as if it was planned, they yelled “EY!” in unison, giving each other the usual “bro greetings”, like they had been doing so for years. Then, they proceeded to grab a drink and talk enthusiastically, or _yell_ over the music, about their summer vacation and potentially updated whereabouts. 

 

It had been 3  hours, 12 pm to be exact, and most of them were drunk. More people had come over, and Baekhyun wondered if Jongdae had gotten permission to throw such a loud party that night. Apart from little details, Baekhyun wasn’t very drunk, he was _okay,_ just a bit less sober and more dance-y than usual. 

 

It was expected that girls would approach him, and he had to admit he tried to cooperate and meet new people. It was _also_ expected, though, that many of them weren’t able to see ahead of the alcohol and hormones, and Baekhyun started to get rather... _annoyed._

 

He didn’t fancy one night stands, no matter how much his friends would bug him about them. The truth was, he had had a one night stand before, but it wasn’t a huge deal, because it lasted 15 minutes with a girl he had never seen before. Another truth was, that Baekhyun was starting to question what he liked and whatnot, something that he probably shouldn’t overthink about, in his opinion.

 

After many encounters and a slightly more dizzy Baekhyun, he decided the atmosphere was just too much for him to bear. So, he informed Sehun he’d go outside to get some fresh air, something that the drunken latter would probably forget to pass on to the rest. Baekhyun didn’t really care at the moment.

 

He stood outside of the apartment. He was continuously rubbing his head and looking around confused, like a lost puppy. After a short while, his eyes glued onto the hallway on his right, that was known to lead to the terrace.

 

 _The_ , _uh, forbidden-for-now terrace._

 

Forbidden, as in NO ONE must walk towards it, open the big door and step a foot on its floor. 

 

Anyone who’d wish to be safe and sound in that building would have to obey the rules as they were.

 

Anyone except from a curious, semi-drunk Baekhyun.

                                                                     ---

 

_What am I doinggggg_

 

 _You’re going to get in trouble! DIMWIT!_

 

The voices in his head, though, weren’t enough. Baekhyun’s instinct felt like it was saying otherwise, and Baekhyun always did what he felt was right. 

 

But how right could this situation be? And, should he even listen to his drunken senses? He only had to find out.

 

His walking pattern wasn’t tragic. In fact, dragging his wobbly legs to the end of the hallway wasn’t a huge difficulty. Although, he thought for a moment, that the most logical thing would be if the door was locked, so no one like Baekhyun’s curious self would enter. But, it was 2 am and no one was awake, and he thought he could give this a shot, as no person was there to scold him.

 

But, as he reached till the very end, he noticed the door wasn’t locked.

 

The key was on the ground as if someone had dropped it in a hurry, as if they had to be very quick while visiting the terrace and, eventually, breaking the rules of the residence. Baekhyun frowned, picked it up and pushed it in his jean’s pocket, because, who knew what would happen in there?

 

His delicate hands were, in fact, trembling in fear, but he wouldn’t back out now. So, he twisted the door knob and hesitantly looked inside as silently as he could, meeting with a situation he would never have guessed.

 

The usual tall guy was standing in the very center of the terrace, seemingly staring at the starry night sky. His posture didn’t seem to hide any signs of nervousness or fear at all, and it could be passed as if he was in a calming state. Something, though, was out of place.

 

The smaller squinted and soon his face wore a confused expression, because, _when was his hair silver?_

 

He could have dyed it, but Baekhyun easily dismissed that idea because he last saw him 3 hours ago. It was really late for a hair appointment. 

 

Suddenly, said guy kneeled down and opened his arms wide, welcoming a gloomy mist of different hues of blue in his embrace. In a span of a second, a strange nostalgic aura filled the area around him, catching Baekhyun as well, and the latter felt weird inside. His neighbor didn’t stop, he was receiving more and more, as if it was giving him the very last drop of life, as if it was keeping him sane in that very _insane_ world.

 

_Was he not afraid of getting caught?_

 

Baekhyun’s eyes remained wide in shock, his hands rubbing the area where the aura was affecting him the most, in his chest, to make the feeling go away. But it was all for nothing, because the aura was suffocating him even more, connecting with his own delicate touches and creating the most odd but familiar feeling Baekhyun had ever experienced. Something about that was confusing him at a greater extent. 

 

He took a step near the darker side of the terrace, his pitch black hair befriending the dark. It was impossible for him to stop watching, something was keeping him there and he couldn’t let go. He hid his face in his palms, in his attempt to mentally escape from the extremely overwhelming situation, but after a while his ear stopped buzzing, his body let the cold run away and he wasn’t trembling non-stop anymore. Instead, a warm feeling began running through his veins and filling his body. All of this was making him restless.

 

A few seconds passed and silence was all he could decipher. However, he reacted too fast when he tried to leave, because he began hearing footsteps from the hallway. His eyes went wide in desperation. He averted them towards the guy, who had also heard the steps and, out of panic, Baekhyun decided to close his eyes shut. 

 

To his own shock, he felt a hand quickly covering his mouth and another arm pulling him in, and soon Baekhyun’s face was buried inside someone’s chest. He looked up and noticed the guy’s features, an odd feeling of relief taking him over, and the duo was now hiding in the dark corner of the terrace. 

 

None of them dared to make noise. The landlord was standing outside of the door and cursed in his breath, because the door was unlocked and the key was missing. Baekhyun felt cold sweat running down his temples, because _he_ had grabbed the key from the ground and now it’s in his own possession, while the landlord was searching for it.

 

_Great._

 

He slightly moved in distress but the other’s grip became tighter, as if he was signaling Baekhyun to not go anywhere.

 

It didn’t take long. The landlord closed the door and left fuming, and Baekhyun was more than terrified. The duo looked each other in the eyes, but the other didn’t let Baekhyun go. His eyes were fierce, a ton of emotions filling them, making it the first time Baekhyun could read them. He reached for the man’s forearms and tried to free himself but the other did so first. 

 

He leaned in and Baekhyun visibly flinched, as the guy’s face was next to Baekhyun’s, facing the opposite way. He wanted to run away so badly, but he knew he couldn’t. Not after what he had just been caught witnessing. 

 

“We have to get out of here, you have to come with me.”

 

The guy’s voice was a deep whisper but delicate in its sound, surprising Baekhyun. The smaller nodded hesitantly, looking in front of him with a serious expression, realizing the significance of the situation. 

 

“I’ll explain. I promise.”

 

He heard again and the guy held his hand firmly, waiting for a few minutes to pass so the area would be free, and they hurriedly walked back inside, leaving the door unlocked.


	4. Chapter 4

_Everything around looks like a messed up painting. For some reason, the ceiling’s coming down. The floor is difficult to step and balance onto. Trying to reach for the wall’s a bit tricky, why’s it moving too? Thick darkness is covering the mind of an unconscious child and a world once appreciated belongs now to the past._

 

Baekhyun was standing near the small living room of the guy’s apartment. Awkwardness and silence were easily sensible. The silver-haired man approached Baekhyun with worry in his eyes, fidgeting on his lips. Baekhyun couldn’t speak; he was feeling very apologetic instead.

 

As apologetic as a semi-drunk person can be.

 

He heard a sigh and his insides dropped at the sudden tiny sound.

 

“This shouldn’t have happened, you know…”

 

Baekhyun knew and felt like it was a misfortune that he got himself into this inhumane situation, because it also felt so _private._ What he _couldn’t understand_ was what his eyes had even witnessed. The most unbelievable moment in his entire life, something so impossible that his brain was rushing for an answer or a logical theory in vain. 

 

“This _can’t_ have happened, there is no way…”,the man continued and his voice faded slowly, with every other word. “They promised me…”

 

Baekhyun was starting to feel odd, he wanted to leave. It’d be rude to just run away, but the man was extremely vague at that point, and Baekhyun’s mind was in a haze. 

 

“I can just pretend to...uh...having seen nothing...I could really do that instead so don’t worry…”

 

The man didn’t look impressed with the idea, and neither thought it could work like that. It was obvious in his blank face.

 

Baekhyun’s eyelids started to feel heavy, his eyes were red already and the situation wasn’t helping. 

 

“I’ll do that, I really have to go.”, he mumbled and the guy’s eyes sparked up the moment Baekhyun tried to leave. 

 

“Before you go…”, he struggled. “I’m sorry for not being clear, _at all,_ but this is frustrating me as well.”

 

Baekhyun’s eyebrows furrowed. “You said you’d explain. I don’t understand what changed.” He closed his eyes as if he was rethinking his words. “It’s… It’s not like I’m going to reveal your actions anyway… I can really keep it a secret.” He paused and looked to the side. “Uh, as much of a secret as a weird dust thing in a terrace can be.”

 

“It was urgent.” He heard the man claim. “It really was.”

 

Baekhyun was staring at the side, trying to figure out what the man even meant. “Until you saw. I rushed and forgot the key outside. Thank Heavens it was you…”, he whispered. “But how was it even you, how was it anybody?”. Sounds of a frustrated man echoed in Baekhyun’s head and banged on his ears. 

 

That night, Baekhyun was sure he met with _quite_ a few surprises. Another thing he was sure about was that he wasn’t physically stable, at all.

 

The guy, who had previously held Baekhyun’s shoulder to prevent him from leaving, was now covering his face in distress. Baekhyun looked at him with the most confused face a drunk person could ever pull off, his confusion growing bigger as he was slowly falling and the man was distancing himself further away in his eyes, those exhausted eyes that abruptly shut to themselves as soon as Baekhyun’s back hit the ground.

                                                                ---

Cold water splashed all over his face, that caused him to get back to his senses. The coldness perhaps hit him on his already heavy head, because Baekhyun wasn’t exactly happy with that action of the other’s, and his glare at him proved it rightfully so.

 

“Are you insane?”,he exclaimed and his voice sounded more raspy than he thought it would. He wiped the water from his eyes and proceeded to try to get on his feet again.

 

“I really don’t want to know what’s going on, I just want to sleep and forget about all this.”,he said, though he wasn’t sure whether he was lying or not. “And, besides,...”,he struggled to speak, out of hesitation. “If you didn’t want anyone to see you perform your strange acts, you shouldn’t have done it here at all.” His hazy eyes watched as the man’s face grew more hurt, hurt with a hint of anger pooling in his orbits. Baekhyun was somehow feeling guilty again.

 

But humans hate to admit their guilt.

 

The still unknown to him guy watched every single one of his actions, as Baekhyun fidgeted for the key, pulling it out and showing it to him.

 

“This… I’ll lock the door myself. _I_ have it now.”,he put it back in his pocket and approached the other. “You should have been more careful with that too, starboy.”

 

The man’s nose scrunched at the sound of the nickname but he didn’t say a word, watching as the other guy left his house for good, and his apartment felt weirdly lonely again.

                                                            ---

Waking up with a hangover, or so he felt like it, was one of Baekhyun’s worst feelings. He looked around at his apartment, sat up on his bed, and soon faded images flooded his mind.

 

A sigh was enough to describe his frustration.

 

He looked at his phone sitting on his nightstand and instantly felt bad that he had left the party like that.

 

Baekhyun - 11:12 am

 

Hey jong jong sorry for leaving like that yesterday

 

Baekhyun pouted in thought, biting on the corner of his bottom lip as he typed again.

 

Baekhyun - 11:14 am

 

I felt uh nauseous 

 

Baekhyun - 11:14 am

 

I had told Sehun though

 

 _Like that excuses your stupid actions, Baekhyun_.

                                                                  ---

Baekhyun found himself outside of Jongdae’s apartment, a cup of coffee in his hands; his friend’s favorite, which he had decided to buy earlier this morning as a little apology.

 

It took him a lot of thinking apparently, because his knuckles weren’t hitting on the door, and neither his fingers were pressing the doorbell. 

 

Baekhyun was known for feeling guilty and apologetic a lot throughout his life. He didn’t like letting people down, he didn’t like being the one to ruin a situation, to ruin a good party.

 

“Ah, goddamnit, Baekhyun.”,he hissed to himself and rubbed his head quickly. “Just ring the stupid bell.”

 

And he did so.

 

Jongdae opened the door, looking like a whole mess, matching with his incredibly messy apartment. 

 

“Boob! Where were you, I thought you got kidnapped or something!”

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatic words, ready to explain when he sensed and _heard_ someone coming down the hall. Even though it could be anyone from floor 2, a tiny string of hope was expecting a silver haired man to come in the view, a feeling Baekhyun didn’t feel very proud of and hence tried to hide it. 

 

Almost.

 

He still checked from the corner of his eyes, and his string of hope filled his body with unbelievable nervousness, because it indeed was him, walking down the hall and heading to the elevator. The other’s serious eyes linked with his, and remained stuck together even when he walked in the elevator, only for the connection to disappear as soon as the elevator doors closed. 

 

He really hated feeling so weird around him.

 

“Hey, hey, hey, are you here?”,he suddenly heard Jongdae say. His friend crossed his arms and smirked, making Baekhyun want to scream for help. “What’s up with you and him?”

 

 _Nothing, just that I witnessed his biggest secret last night and ridiculed him about it later._ “Nothing. Why are you so far up his a-” 

 

Jongdae covered Baekhyun’s mouth and took the coffee on his other hand slowly. That, because he noticed the landlord coming towards them. “Oh my God, that’s it. I’m dead for.”,he whispered to Baekhyun and the other wanted to laugh so bad, but he unfortunately remembered why the landlord was now his own demon, whom he wanted to run away from after what he had done last night.

 

Not that the landlord knew it was him anyways, but still.

 

“Haha, thank you for the coffee, Baekhyun. I’m very...thankful-”

 

“Coffee to make the party...animal feel better.”,said the landlord, his hands in his pockets and his face portraying the scariest thing Jongdae had ever witnessed in his 17 years of life. 

 

Jongdae forced a smile, wanting to run away inwardly. “Forgive me, sir-”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”,the two friends heard the landlord clear his throat. “If any of you saw, by chance, anyone _steal my key_ for the terrace, you better tell me right away.” He scrunched his face in annoyance, and the two friends almost peed their pants in fear; one of them because he held a loud party till 4 something am, and the other because his spontaneous decisions led the key to his own possession. “Am I clear enough, or is the hangover that bad?”

 

“No, no, sir, you’re very clear, yeah. Haha.” The duo spoke messily at the same time, gaining weird looks from the landlord, who decided to walk away after a bit.

 

Baekhyun’s face was frozen to a scared haze. “Oh, I’m _so_ dead.”,he heard Jongdae say in fear.

 

“You tell me…”

 

This summer break with his friends started to feel a bit off this year.


	5. Chapter 5

_Dark blue skies with sunsets whose hue and colors vary depending on the season, tall and slim trees that touch the galactic sky; a cold place but with a quite a few warm-hearted people. No matter the happenings, no matter the broken hearts, that’s home. And its people rightfully believe betrayal means disrespecting your home._

 

“So, what’s the coffee for?”

 

“I left the party and I didn’t even tell you.”

 

Jongdae grimaced and sat on the couch. “Wow, sympathetic, aren’t we now?” Baekhyun nervously watched as a grin began appearing on his friend’s face. “If you do that more often, will I be receiving free coffees each time?", the other paused and nodded to himself, a smug expression still on his face. “If so, I like your sympathy, yeah.”

 

It was when Baekhyun threw a pillow at him that he quit his teasing. But Baekhyun was still feeling out of it, as if his mind wasn’t certain of what to worry about more; having been rude to a stranger with a very private secret or to the stern landlord? 

 

Both had every right to be mad at him. 

 

That, if Baekhyun ever revealed his mistake to the landlord.

 

“Say, Jongdae…”,he hesitated, which became easily obvious by the way he was rubbing the side of his neck. “Assume that you broke a rule and no one knows so except from a stranger you acted completely rude to.” Baekhyun started regretting his words as soon as Jongdae’s confusion became visible on his face. _The kind of confusion that’s also indicating that the other is about to question your sanity._ “What would you…”

 

“Wow, wow, wow, hang on.” _And he was completely right._ “The hell are you talking about? What rule did you break?”

 

Baekhyun’s cheeks became red instantly. “No one said it was me!”

 

“It’s OBVIOUSLY you.”

 

The latter sighed. “Keep a secret?” As soon as the other nodded, Baekhyun took the deepest breath of his life. He wasn’t _that_ scared even when he took swimming lessons at 5 years of age, for sure.

 

“So, uh…” _Words? What words? What do you even SAY at such a situation? How did you manage to get yourself in trouble when you were supposed to have a good summer? Idiot! The landlord is going to kill you._

 

“So?” 

 

Baekhyun huffed in distress. “I _might_ be the one who took the terrace’s key.”

 

“WHAT?”

 

Jongdae was terrified, Jongdae was scared, and Baekhyun was sure of it. He stood there with a distressed expression while his friend was gaping, because both of the college boys knew _quite_ well how serious the situation was. “What do you mean? You stole the key?! You’re going to die-”

 

A hand covered his mouth in seconds. “Shut up! I didn’t _steal_ it!” Baekhyun looked around in thought, resisting the way his friend was shooting glares at him. “It’s a long story.”

 

Jongdae took Baekhyun’s hand off his face and raised his eyebrows. “I’m listening.”

                                                         ---

 

It had been exactly 10 minutes since Baekhyun left Jongdae’s apartment. Was he feeling regretful? 

 

Maybe.

 

Though he never revealed the stranger’s actions to his friend, he did mention the basic information. He _was_ scared that perhaps he shouldn’t have said anything at all, to be honest.

 

But, thinking about it thoroughly, he realized that, if he really wanted to put the key back to where it belonged, he would need help. 

 

And the stranger wasn’t a great option, considering how unwilling of helping he’d be. Baekhyun thought it’d be completely logical for him to feel like that, and the duo didn’t even know each other’s names to begin with, and none of them knew how they got to the point where they’d need to.

 

Because the stranger had originally taken the key, then Baekhyun had found it and foolishly took it, making himself be the official guilty person out of the two.

 

That, assuming no one knew about Chanyeol’s action in the first place.

 

There was Baekhyun, pressing the button for the elevator to come up, two fingers in his mouth, indicating that he was in a nervous state. When the doors opened in front of him, he faintly felt another person’s presence behind him, but he stepped inside like a normal human being, even though the atmosphere was starting to feel rather suffocating again. He decided to ignore it once again, turning around to face the doors. 

 

But in front of the doors stood the no-name guy, with his typical serious expression focused on Baekhyun. And the doors closed, leaving the two boys alone, staring at each other as if doing it was completely necessary.

 

Baekhyun’s body was feeling heavy, suffocated, and the atmosphere continued to get stronger. The thought of their broken communication came to his mind, and he suddenly felt the need to explain himself. So, he coughed and smiled faintly, contrasting with the other’s completely emotionless face.

 

“How come we always bump into each other?”

 

The stranger stood to the side and raised his eyebrows sarcastically. “I don’t know. Why?”

 

Baekhyun knew he couldn’t just talk to him as if nothing had happened, but he was strangely feeling like he had to clear everything out, to let the other know he didn’t have bad intentions.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

The other looked at him with a confused look. “Why do you want to know?”

 

Baekhyun focused on the other’s dark orbs with fake confidence, smiling again. “Can’t I?”

 

By that, he gained a faint emotion from the other, still forced, but a bit more of a relaxing action, breaking the frozen awkwardness slowly.

 

“Chanyeol. Park Chanyeol.”

 

Baekhyun couldn’t stop smiling, but it wasn’t a smile of excitement, nor overdone joy. It was more of a dreamy facial expression, more of a nostalgic look even if there was nothing to feel nostalgic about. Said Chanyeol raised his eyebrows a moment later, expecting the other to have replied already.

 

“Yours?”

 

A faint chuckle was heard, coming from a certain dark haired boy who was feeling rather proud. “Why do you want to know?”,he repeated the other’s words, with a deep and confident honey tone of voice, and soon the atmosphere felt more like a sunny spring morning.

 

“I’m Byun Baekhyun, and my drunk self wants to sincerely apologize for being a complete asshole to you.”

 

Chanyeol smiled differently that time, something that Baekhyun thought made him look really understanding. It wasn’t just the smile, it was his whole aura. It felt like a genuine one.

 

“Apology taken.”, he responded, and his eyes fell onto the row of buttons, when he suddenly realized they didn’t press any of them. He then slapped his forehead softly and spoke up again. “Oh my. We didn’t even press a button, people must be waiting.”

 

The other laughed as if it was the funniest thing and spoke breathless. “Where are you heading to?”

 

“Outside. You?”

 

“Me too. Let’s hurry up then.”, Baekhyun smiled, and, as soon as the button was pressed, a nice warm feeling flooded in his body. 

 

He thought he had managed to clear that part of his troubles, however something was holding the other back, and Baekhyun noticed it when silence fell again and both of them were focused more on their thoughts than their surroundings. 

 

Why was it so hard for him to view Baekhyun as a normal neighbor?

 

Baekhyun couldn’t understand why it was so serious, but he believed the other had his reasons.

 

Baekhyun just wanted to make Chanyeol feel reassured, that his secret would remain a secret no matter what.

 

Even if it was an utterly inhumane secret, Baekhyun was truly feeling loyal to maintaining it one.

 

What made this simple thought branch into 50 different unsolved questions?


	6. Chapter 6

_Everything is so calm, so relaxing. How wonderful to live in bliss, to know you can aspire for even better things. That’s what home offers, to those who are undeniably loyal, to those who don’t have any intentions of altering what’s been the same for decades. Home stays loyal to the loyal ones. Fate must not exist._

 

Every day that passed reminded Baekhyun of the fact that college was indeed starting really soon, and he had barely had any _summer_ fun.

 

How was that even possible?

 

He wouldn’t let those last days slide like that.

  


Baekhyun - 5:03 pm

 

JONGDAE

 

Jongd*** - 5:04 pm

 

WHAT

 

Baekhyun - 5:04 pm

 

Let’s have a small trip with the others

 

Jongd*** - 5:05 pm

 

A trip? 

 

Baekhyun - 5:06 pm

 

YEAH like to the beach

 

Jongd*** - 5:06 pm

 

Cool idea I’ll text the others

  


Baekhyun layed back on the couch, a satisfied smile painting his lazy face. The last few days had been a bit boring, except from the little troubles surrounding him. But, he’d soon get out of it, he just had to be very discreet.

 

He soon heard his phone buzz, a message appearing on the screen that read; “Everyone is down for the trip. They’re coming by at 7 to play LOL and stuff so just join us then ;)”

 

And so everything started.

                                                            ---

 

_The sky looked really beautiful that night. He had never seen so many stars, covering the uncertain darkness the universe holds._

 

_“Baekhyun?”_

 

_Baekhyun opened his eyes, where a tall figure was standing like a tall tree beside the other trees. His silver hair had turned white, and, to Baekhyun, it matched really well with the galactic beauty of the sky._

 

_He didn’t answer. He just closed his eyes and smiled, knowing Chanyeol was still looking down at him, as the tightening grip of the certain feeling deep into his chest was becoming stronger._

 

_Then, as if by magic, a little star travelled down, left its home and headed for a laying Baekhyun, became one with his heart and lightened his chest up._

 

_A situation just like Chanyeol’s on the terrace that one day._

Baekhyun woke up with hot sweat all over his body, in the faded light of his apartment. His hand went over his messy hair, as the dream ran circles around his confused mind. Checking the clock, Baekhyun decided his naps were really well organized in his body. 

 

6:44 PM

 

He had already gotten fixed up, but Baekhyun wanted to get out of his apartment as soon as possible.

 

_Something was undoubtedly off._

 

He ended up sitting on the stairs, right next to the elevator. He inwardly hoped no one would question that, because he was feeling so mentally exhausted, that social interactions were out of question for sure.

 

He covered his face, and everything fell silent. Nothing was to be heard. His eyes watching a blank nothing, his ears inactive like they were deaf. 

 

But he suddenly touched his chest again. 

 

_No no no no no, please, not again!_

 

Why was it so overwhelming?

 

_Leave me alone!!_

 

Baekhyun didn’t realize that, once again, it was the presence of someone, the piercing eyes on his back, the invisible heart strings that tightened day by day.

 

He got up, he ran into the elevator without thinking of anything in particular and trapped the suffocation outside of its doors. 

                                                                   ---

“Baekhyun!”

 

And there were Baekhyun’s group of friends, sitting on Jongdae’s couch and yelling at the computer.

 

“I’m literally the master of Korea.”, boasted Sehun. “No one does it like me.”

 

“Chill out with that, Caesar.”

 

“Caesar wasn’t Korean.”, Sehun stuck his tongue out towards Junmyeon, and Baekhyun didn’t miss the smile on the latter’s face.

 

“Alright, you guys, shut up so we can finally decide where to go in the end.”, said Jongdae and Kyungsoo patted his shoulder, following the other’s words. “He is right, let’s get it over with before college.”

 

“Is it possible, Hyung?”, said Yixing in broken Korean.

 

Minseok laughed and raised his hand up, suggesting a beach near by, while other suggestions followed suit. Baekhyun could barely maintain a smile on his face, even though he was the one to mention the idea for the trip.

 

He didn’t realize how Jongdae had noticed him, and how he purposely made the rest argue on the topic of “whose idea was better”, just to get Baekhyun close to him and comfort him silently.  

 

“Baek.”, he whispered to Baekhyun, as the duo was sitting on the kitchen chairs.

 

“Jongie.”, the other smiled, even though his eyes were only painted with unknown exhaustion.

 

“Is there something bothering you?”, he watched as Baekhyun looked down for a mere second. “You look like you never even slept!”

 

For that, he received a hit on the arm, making both of them chuckle at each other. 

 

“I’m fine.”, Baekhyun finally said and he didn’t miss Jongdae’s suspicious look. “Well, not really, I just don’t know, maybe I slept badly earlier.”

 

“Napping did you like that?”, exclaimed Jongdae silently. “Weird.”

 

“I know!”, they chuckled again and, when they heard the rest of the boys finally come to a decision, Baekhyun patted Jongdae’s shoulder. “Don’t worry too much about me.”

 

“The mild cockiness never leaves you.”, the other responded as the duo walked back to the others with a grin on their faces.

 

“We got it, Jong!”, exclaimed Jongin. 

 

“Where to?”

 

“Jeju island.”, he said proudly.

 

Baekhyun’s heart felt a sudden tug at the name. The grin on his face faded away, like the wind on a snowy day, passing by a lonely forest, wiping its lively colors and replacing it with a cold nothing.

 

It wouldn’t stop.

 

Baekhyun saw black.


	7. Chapter 7

_What are the odds fate is ruling the world? Or any world, for that matter. What are the chances of being drowned into one single mysterious word?_

 

As two tired lids opened slowly, the darkness got replaced by the sight of his friends, with worried faces directing their eyes right on him.

 

_Did I just pass out in front of my friends?_

 

Baekhyun got up and rubbed his neck lazily while looking around Jongdae’s apartment.

 

“You okay?”, Jongdae’s voice was heard suddenly, and all Baekhyun could do was nod.

 

The so-called laziness, however, wasn’t laziness at all.

 

Baekhyun had finally realized that he couldn’t continue feeling like that anymore. The idea was already thought out in his brain within 10 minutes after him opening his eyes; the physical, emotional and mental consequences were known to him. 

 

He was missing a few points, though; Who or what ever was causing him to feel that way? Why did he suddenly black out at the sound of a place’s name?

 

This all was just not adding up to him.

 

Given his utter unawareness of his situation, Baekhyun decided it would be more fair if he just focused on the upcoming trip rather than overthinking about something he had no information about.

 

“When are we going?”, he asked, his voice a bit more clear and confident, engulfing all the hidden dark fears inside.

 

“We have to search for a hotel first…” Kyungsoo thought for a moment and, before he could continue, another voice was heard. “Actually, how about we go camping there?”, suggested Sehun, as his hands were still occupied with the game.

 

Kyungsoo looked at Junmyeon and then at Minseok, like their eyes were sharing some mutual communication.

 

“That’s not a bad idea.”, said Jongdae and his eyes showed a hint of excitement. “I still own the tent my parents and I used to bring around places when I was younger.”

 

Jongin smiled and forced himself in between Baekhyun and Jongdae, placing his arms above the two and sort of embracing them into a side hug. “You guys… Let’s do it, it’s going to be so much fun!”

 

Jongdae shot a glance at Baekhyun, whose face was rather near his, and the duo shared a smile, marking the start of a great trip.

 

In the midst of the silent excitement, Baekhyun felt a hand patting his arm, and, turning to its direction, he saw Yixing holding a chocolate bar. “Don’t pass out again, that was scary.”

 

The college guys filled the apartment with their chuckles and giggles, and, despite their total unawareness of Baekhyun’s story, they managed to create a lighter atmosphere for him, as the minutes had passed delightfully since the moment he had fainted.

 

All worries aside, Baekhyun’s body was finally starting to relax, realizing that perhaps he had found the perfect antidote to his unexplained pain; his friends’ company and love.

                                                            ---

 

Having decided that the group should let one another get well prepared for the trip, Baekhyun decided to actually shop the things he didn’t own. Jongdae had mentioned that his tent wasn’t all that spacious, so the boys decided to go in duos or trios; Jongin and Kyungsoo would accompany Jongdae, Sehun chose to sleep with Junmyeon and Yixing, and Baekhyun was going to team up with Minseok.

 

Given the circumstances, Minseok and Baekhyun planned a small shopping ‘spree’ for the day, as they had to purchase a tent and a few other things that weren’t as important.

 

Baekhyun got dressed up at 11 am and walked out of his apartment. His morning was rather _quiet_ , meaning that he was perfectly fine, in contrast with the day before. He was a tiny bit nervous for that, but he concluded that spending some time with a friend would help him at a great extent.

 

It’s not like he was sick.

 

Maybe sick of feeling suffocated for no reason.

 

Another thing that crossed his mind as well was Chanyeol, whom he hadn’t seen or spoken to for a short while.

 

In fact, it was like he had disappeared, and Baekhyun’s gut was informing him that perhaps the reason wasn’t all so pleasing. 

 

But Baekhyun’s gut had also led him towards the terrace, so maybe he shouldn’t listen.

He foolishly stood outside of his apartment, gazed at the elevator and sighed. A tiny bit amount of curiosity was killing him, he wanted to check if Chanyeol was in his apartment.

 

He didn’t. Instead, he ran down the stairs and dismissed the idea of taking the elevator, as that would probably make him change his mind to press the button that led to floor 2.

 

Meanwhile, and to his misfortune, Chanyeol walked out of the elevator with eyes that hid nothing but alarm, something of huge importance.

 

 However, his precious words were never said as Baekhyun’s apartment was sadly left empty.

                                                               

As Baekhyun went to exit the building quickly, he noticed a paper hastily put up on the door. He scrunched his face in confusion, as he read the letters; “DO NOT ENTER THE TERRACE. THANK YOU”. 

 

_Why would he announce it now after so many days?_

 

“Baekhyun.”

 

Baekhyun turned his head towards the voice, the voice that belonged to none other than the landlord himself.

 

“Good morning, sir.”

 

His face wasn’t very happy as usual, but Baekhyun was used to it. He knew he made a mistake by taking the key, but he wasn’t at fault for anything else. 

 

_Didn’t you step in the terrace though?_

 

_Screw you, Mind._

 

Nevertheless, he still hadn’t revealed that little secret.

 

“You saw the announcement.”, he glanced towards the paper and nodded. “I got a new key a few days ago. No one has the original key, it seems, so I won’t waste my time on silly searching, it probably got lost.”, he coughed, a habit of his that made him look as if he wanted every conversation to be over in a quick talk about important matters. “The terrace will get fixed starting today.”

 

Baekhyun wasn’t sure why he was revealing so much information to him, a secretive _thief._ So, he smiled a bit awkwardly and bowed respectfully.

 

“Understood. Have a good-”

 

“Wait, Baekhyun!”

 

A loud, deep voice could be heard from the stairs and Baekhyun became pale immediately.

 

He was aware it was Chanyeol, but, even though he had no real reason to, his mind wanted to run away from him, as it he was not able to sit beside him for more than a minute.

 

He glanced up at him, who was now standing next to the landlord, easily taller by a head, with his snow white hair and worried eyes.

 

“Chanyeol.”

 

The two stared at each other starstruck, for different reasons, receiving peculiar looks from the elder man.

 

“Ai… What’s wrong with you kids…”, he mumbled as his walked away slowly, letting the tension rise by 100% between the two.

 

_My heart will jump out of my chest…_

 

Chanyeol cleared his throat and looked to the side, hastily moving his hands and trying to begin his speech. “Listen, Baekhyun-”

 

Suddenly, Bekhyun felt an arm around his shoulders, a fresh scent prominent. “You’re late, stupid.”

 

“Minseok.”

 

Chanyeol looked as if his confidence was leaving him, his eyes widening. “My apologies, but you really have to listen to me-”

 

“Hey, we really got to go.”, complained Minseok, in a sort of polite manner. “Tell him later?”

 

Chanyeol thinned his lips into a line out of frustration and looked to the side for a split second, causing Baekhyun to actually feel nervous for another time.

 

“Baekhyun, don’t go please.”, pleaded Chanyeol, his eyes overflowing with worry and tiredness, affecting Baekhyun at a great extent.

 

Baekhyun wasn’t sure, he didn’t have the utter confidence to admit to himself that Chanyeol perhaps couldn’t just “tell him later”, but he was certain of one thing; his heart was pounding, beating like crazy and becoming the only thing he could hear. A loud series of never ending pulses were echoing in his ears, while muffled voices were trying to overpower it in vain.

 

He thought he was hallucinating. His state was concerning enough, and even Jongdae had suggested he seeked help for it. But it felt so unusual, because it came and went only when…

 

_Baekhyun felt his blood run cold across his chest._

 

“Are you listening?”, he heard while someone was patting his shoulder. “Hey, Baekhyun.”

 

Minseok’s concerned face was the first thing Baekhyun noticed. Then the elevator in front of him. And then Chanyeol.

 

Chanyeol, whose hands were clawing on his face, his legs taking quick steps back, and voice mumbling something almost inaudible.

 

But Baekhyun heard it.

 

“ _Not now, please not now.”_

 

His assumptions were starting to feel more real as time passed, and now that the proof was enough, Baekhyun felt even more confused as to how to handle it.

 

Before he could react, Chanyeol ran away, yelling in a hurry.

 

**“Don’t go to Jeju!”**


	8. Chapter 8

Wooden walls with flower paintings, their small frames making the little artsy touch very delicate, a window just next to the table Baekhyun was sitting on with Minseok, their shopping bags lying on the spare chairs. A peaceful view to say the least, except Baekhyun’s aura was overly contrasting. He was sitting timidly with a cup of coffee in his hands, while Minseok’s worried looks weren’t working on the frozen college boy. 

 

He eventually shrugged and put his cup on the table.

 

“Are you ready to tell me what happened?”, said Minseok with a tender tone of voice. “Did you know that guy?”

 

Baekhyun’s face wasn’t giving any obvious answers, but Minseok figured he knew him, just by the slight change in his expression. 

 

A minute passed and Minseok wasn’t expecting Baekhyun to talk. 

“He’s the one.”, mumbled Baekhyun, gaining a look of confusion from his friend. “He knows what he’s doing.”

 

“I don’t quite understand that, B.”

 

“I fainted because of him, I feel physically and mentally controlled because of him.”, he whispered intensely, and Minseok couldn’t know whether if he must believe him or not. “If only I hadn’t seen him that night…”

 

“Baekhyun, with all respect…”, admitted his friend, ”I don’t think you’re okay…”

 

“Obviously not. This isn’t unreasonable insanity, Minseok, I feel like this only when he’s around.”

 

Minseok gave him a suspicious look and smiled. “Are you sickly in love?”, he joked but Baekhyun reacted in such a way, that his sip of coffee landed on his friend’s face. “What?!”

 

Minseok quickly grabbed a tissue and cleaned his face, inwardly thanking God that it was cold coffee. “Never do that again.”

 

Baekhyun bowed his head and smiled, inwardly finding Minseok in front of him a sight to laugh at. “Never again, sorry.”

 

The clock a few feet away from the college boys’ table showed 2 pm the moment Baekhyun took a look at it, a few hours after the shocking incident that left him with nothing but another bunch of unanswered questions. He shook his head when the images flowed back in his mind and smiled.

 

“We should head back. Jongdae promised it, pizza and movies.” 

 

The boys laughed, a wholesome moment for the two, until Baekhyun felt like he was being watched. He shook his head again and smiled the feeling away, as the two friends paid for their coffees and left.

 

Baekhyun was far more clingy on Minseok’s arm the whole way back.

                                                                      ---

 

“Baekhyun”

 

Baekhyun was sitting on the couch with his mouth stuffed with pepperoni pizza, when Jongdae whispered his name in his ear. The rest were focused on the movie, which was unusually loud in the apartment. He hummed in response, and Jongdae looked at him with worry in his eyes.

 

“When will you return the key?”

 

“Oh, there’s no need for that.”, he said, while his fingers were blindly trying to reach for a napkin, as his eyes were focused on the screen. “The landlord has a spare one, finally. Although I’m still sort of petrified around him, maybe he knows.”

 

“How would he know? He doesn’t even have the money to install CCTV cameras upstairs for proof, he totally cannot know.”

 

Suddenly, Baekhyun felt a popcorn land on his face. “You guys, shut up and watch.”

 

“A minute.”, hissed Jongdae at Sehun and returned his focus on Baekhyun, who began talking.

 

“Anyway, I think we should be extra careful of that Chanyeol guy.”

 

Jongdae looked at him in a confused way, but the other’s eyes reassured him that he had his reasons. 

 

“What I mean is,” continued Baekhyun, “I know I tried to be in good terms for the sake of kindness and all, but I have a lot of suspicions about him and I’d like to keep a distance. You might not understand me right now but I think he is the reason for all these strange things happening to me. Guilty or not, he has to be away from me. From all of us. I might even move if it gets worse.”

 

“Okay, you know your wallet thinks otherwise right now.”

 

Baekhyun slapped Jongdae’s arm and smiled, even though his mind was at a darker place. “At Jeju...I mean, I don’t believe him but be closer to me when we go there, Dae...I found out that being with all of my friends is quite effective on me.”, whispered Baekhyun in a sadder low tone. “Also, let’s not let all of the others know about this, it’s too much. Plus, we just have to have fun, not to worry.”

 

“Who else knows?”

 

“Hyung (Minseok).”

 

Jongdae smiled, not because he was happy, but because of sadness. He nodded and looked back at the bright screen, inwardly hoping this nightmare would end for his friend.

                                                         ---

Chanyeol was out in the hallway walking towards the elevator, when Baekhyun exited Jongdae’s apartment with his friends, that had stayed over for the night. He didn’t look, he didn’t bat an eye at Baekhyun’s presence; he seemed tired, exhausted, really, like he hadn’t slept properly for days. He was coated with his black jacket, even though the sun was at its peak that day, but it was visible that the guy wouldn’t mind burning because of the heat outside. 

 

Baekhyun felt an arm around his shoulders, Jongdae’s arm, and he smiled because his friend remembered. The tugs in his heart weren’t that strong, they were rather weak, and Baekhyun thought it was because Chanyeol was weak as well.

 

He entered the elevator and vanished from his eyes, while Sehun and Jongin were complaining that the guy didn’t wait for them to get inside as well.

 

That day, Baekhyun questioned if Chanyeol was actually and deliberately making his heart hurt every time, because it wouldn’t make sense, in his weak and tired state of his, to cause such a reaction.

 

The confusion was growing bigger.


	9. Chapter 9

_Jeju Day_

 

“How...How did you even rent a mini bus, Dae-”

 

The group of college boys was right outside the building where Baekhyun and Jongdae lived, staring at the mini bus in front of them; some astounded, some exhilarated.

 

They all got in, Baekhyun sitting alone in the back where he loved sitting at, as the others were talking loudly and sharing words and feelings with each other enthusiastically. He rested his head on the hard window, his eyes wandering around the building in front of him. The faded figure of Chanyeol was still appearing wherever he laid his eyes on, whenever Baekhyun was longing for some of the good old peace. 

 

Nothing mattered apart from the fact that that was _their_ day, _their_ time. 

 

And Baekhyun was going to make sure that _nothing and no one_ would ruin it.

 

So, took a big breath and smiled, taking all of the good energy in, trying to entrap his very prominent fears and assumptions. 

 

It was nothing. An inhumane human. Nothing.

                                                                           ---

“Baekhyun.”

 

Baekhyun heard the faded sound of his name and removed an earpiece to listen better, focusing on Jongdae who was now sitting next to him.

 

The boys were being driven to their destination, and, being 9 in the morning, they chose to either sleep the drive away or be occupied to their own things. Baekhyun was feeling rather fine, a bit excited, to say the least. He was also proud for suggesting all of this, because it was _very_ much needed.

 

Jongdae leaned back and hid himself behind the front seat, his eyes hiding images that weren’t easily meant to be shared.

 

“I saw something earlier.”

                                                                           ---                                                                       

 

_Jongdae was organizing the bags when he noticed Chanyeol through his apartment’s window. He peeked back at where Baekhyun was sitting, a wave of worry overtaking him instantly._

 

 _Chanyeol was no ordinary man and that was proven to Jongdae when he noticed how white and blue his skin had gotten since the first time he saw him. He used to look fresh, healthy,_ **_human_ ** _. Now his hair had turned into an indelible silver hue, his skin had gotten as pale as Snow White’s and eyes had turned inhumanely dark, like he had trapped all of his darkest nightmares in them. It was obvious Chanyeol had been trying to hide, especially by the way he wore hoodies at such a hot weather._

 

_Jongdae saw Chanyeol packing that morning._

  


“What I mean is,” continued Baekhyun, “I know I tried to be in good terms for the sake of kindness and all, but I have a lot of suspicions about him and I’d like to keep a distance. You might not understand me right now but I think he is the reason for all these strange things happening to me. Guilty or not, he has to be away from me. From all of us. I might even move if it gets worse.”

 

_Jongdae shut his eyes close and wished for the unwanted to not happen._

 

_“At Jeju...I mean, I don’t believe him but be closer to me when we go there, Dae...I found out that being with all of my friends is quite effective on me.”, whispered Baekhyun in a sadder low tone. “Also, let’s not let all of the others know about this, it’s too much. Plus, we just have to have fun, not to worry.”_

                                                      

_That hope of his seemed rather impossible._

_\---_

 

The place was… breathtaking. The boys all split into little teams of two and walked towards different directions, without going too far away from each other. 

 

Baekhyun felt his heart relax for the first time in a while.

 

“Guys!”, Sehun exclaimed and, soon, the college men were all gathered next to him, their eyes glued to the magnificent view ahead of them. It felt like a breath of fresh air, being on vacation felt so, so good.

 

They walked for a few minutes till they reached the camping site; spaceful, full of nature’s goods and the magical beach at the very end. 

 

“Okay, okay, let’s start setting up the tents. We need at least an hour or two to set up-”

 

“Calm down, Minseok…”, chuckled Junmyeon. “Let them take their time.”

 

The two friends peeked simultanuously at the rest of their friends being children at the beach, splashing the water and laughing at each other in bliss. 

 

Is this what happiness felt like?

 

Baekhyun thought so, he thought that maybe that’s where he belonged. He belonged there, with his friends, with no worries and no hurt, he was nothing but grateful for all these. He just wanted to run around and smile until his cheeks hurt, he wanted to fall on the sand and get messy.

 

He owned these for that very moment.

                                                                 ---

“CAMPING FOOD CELEBRATION!”

 

“We’re just making marshmallows.”, stared Kyungsoo at Jongin, who was happily moving his stick around, finishing his actions off with an equally reserved poker face.

 

“You know, we’re going to need to play a game or two, huh? Who’s in?”

 

The guys were speaking all together, like one loud voice sounding in the night air. But Baekhyun gulped. He wasn’t feeling very positive about that.

 

“Creepy story telling instead?”, Jongdae suggested. “Who’s going to chicken out first?”

 

More noises followed, from nagging to bragging about the non-cowardness of each of them.

 

Jongdae won, once again. And thus, the night began.

 

It had been a solid 30 minutes and Baekhyun slowly started feeling the cold night breeze getting colder. He hugged the blanket tightly, but it didn’t turn out to be much of a help. It felt weird. Everyone around him didn’t seem to be affected at all, with their short sleeved shirts and lack of blankets. 

 

“Yixing.”, whispered Baekhyun. “Aren’t you cold?”

 

Yixing glanced at him and shook his head slowly. “It’s really not that cold, Hyung.”

 

Baekhyun looked around him and the tree leaves were barely moving, not a single one dancing intensely in the air. 

 

When did the atmosphere become so thick and heavy? 

 

All of a sudden, Baekhyun felt the air move oddly around him, like it shaped into ghost-like figures and started passing by him creepily. He gasped when it came closer, gaining a few looks at his direction.

 

“Damn, Baek. Didn’t know you were that scared of ghosts.”

 

He heard Sehun mumble and gaped at him. “Y-You can feel it too?!”

 

Sehun looked unfazed. “If you mean the creepiness of this ghost story on google, I certainly can’t. Seriously, do they think we’re 10…”

 

Baekhyun stood there staring at him with a horrified face, his breathing pattern picking up pace and sounding abnormal.

 

“Baekhyun…”, said Jongdae, with eyes that seemed rather alarmed and concerned.

 

“I’m...fine.”, the other managed to say, never moving his face from that same direction he was looking; the little fire they had made for the marshmallows.

 

**“Are you sure?”**


	10. Chapter 10

If the fire in front of him were to swallow him up on the instant, Baekhyun would willingly accept it. To be fair, when his whole body was surrounded by a creepily haunting energy, he was considering the offer his mind made up. It would have been so much easier to just give up, because he was having it worse and worse every day. 

He had enough.

He just wasn't sure how to fight it back, how to be powerful enough in that battle, that was ruling his soul.

Just when he got up, a very familiar voice was heard from a fine distance.

"Hey!"

Baekhyun didn't know if it was fury or security, but what he felt was probably a mix of both. He was certain of the second one, when he saw Chanyeol coming up to him with an expression on his face that was signaling a warning, maybe concern about something.  

He knew what that "something" might be.

Chanyeol was still wearing a black hoodie, obviously bigger in size, judging by the way its hood was creating a light shade over his ice cold face.

Chanyeol stood behind Baekhyun and faked a smile at the rest, who were surprised to see him there.

"Chanyeol!...", exclaimed Jongdae, who was now very unsure of how to treat the man.

"I'm really sorry for appearing so suddenly, but I recently came here with my family for camping and saw you guys and...thought we'd hang out?",he explained convincingly. "Spending time with elders all the time isn't all that fun."  

"It's no problem.",said Jongin, fortunately or not. "Do you know him, Jongdae?" 

Jongdae seemed a bit distressed, but he managed to cover it well, while Chanyeol's worried eyes were piercing through his. "Yeah...We're neighbors." 

"Hey, you're....you're that guy!", Sehun pointed out all of a sudden. "The guy at the hallway? Is your hair white?" 

Chanyeol removed the hood from his head and revealed it; his unbelievably, inhumanely beautiful white locks, that were falling on his forehead that night, for a change. 

"That's cool.", said Kyungsoo. "Come sit with us, Jongdae must be pleased to see you again." 

He didn't look all that pleased.

As for Baekhyun, he was in a calmer state now. Still standing, as if he was alone. 

That, till he felt Chanyeol's hands kindly placed on his shoulders, to motion him to sit down. Baekhyun looked at him with a distressed face, and all the other could do was smile through it, like it was a beautiful night, like a star wasn't going to die that night.

The others started talking again, their loud voices mixing together in a weirdly satisfying way, which made Chanyeol think Baekhyun's friends liked to keep the awkwardness away by making the atmosphere lighter for a newbie. 

 Chanyeol was sitting in a polite manner, and Baekhyun couldn't understand if the man next to him was the worst and most diabolic thing to exist or the utter opposite. Chanyeol's eyes were completely cancelling the first idea the moment he caught Baekhyun's eyes curiously roaming all over him. 

He definitely was a mystery.

"By the way, Chanyeol...", started Minseok with a confused look. "Didn't I see you at the exit? With Baekhyun?" 

Chanyeol inwardly cursed himself, because that day could perhaps cost him the trust he build from others as a "human being". He tried to reply, before Minseok spoke up again.

"So, are you okay now? You seemed pretty...stressed." 

"I'm fine.", smiled Chanyeol, and he looked so ethereal. "I think I'm just allergic." 

"To what?"

"Uhhh...", he thought and smiled again. "Our landlord?" 

Everyone started laughing like it was the joke of the century, while Baekhyun was rubbing his eyes and sighing. Tiredness or mesmerise, it was a reason to want to run away again, despite how safe he felt.

"So, you know Baekhyun?", said Sehun, while crossing his legs in interest. "He has never mentioned you." 

Chanyeol wasn't sure whether he should have felt hurt or not. "Uh...yeah. We're neighbors as well, right?"

Baekhyun forced himself to smile. Even though the two men had almost nothing to do with each other, Baekhyun felt the need to cover up the other's secret like it was his to protect. "Right." 

Baekhyun didn't miss the slight surprise on Chanyeol's face. Maybe he really believed the other hated him, after all.  

"Why did you come here?", whispered Baekhyun near Chanyeol's ear, when the others got busy with their conversation again. "Why are you always coming back?"

Jongdae had told him. He had informed him, yet Baekhyun still tried to convince himself it'll all be alright. Why was he following him all the time?

Chanyeol was scared to reply. "Did you feel it?"

Baekhyun's eyes rose up to the other. "Feel what?" 

The man gulped, avoiding the other's curious eyes for a bit. "A ghostly presence?", he half-replied, more like 'asked'. 

"Yeah."

A few seconds passed and Baekhyun wanted to know more. "Did you feel it too? Do you know what it was?" 

If the earth were to crack open, Chanyeol would have definitely want to be its first victim. "I've been feeling it.", he faintly said. "For a while." 

Baekhyun's face looked as if there were a million question marks surrounding it. 

Until he got his answer, and the question marks died out one by one, exactly how he felt his soul would leave him. 

" **It's my family."**


	11. Chapter 11

The warm breeze of September hit Baekhyun a little different this time. How come, the longer his eyes engulfed the sea's darkness, the better his already dark soul felt?

 

How come his life turned that way?

 

There was no doubt that Chanyeol was linked to him in a peculiar way, a feeling he couldn't describe. A few weeks ago, when they first met, Baekhyun was certain this man only brought him trouble. He was always trouble.

 

A beautiful mess.

 

He didn't know how to react when he sensed the other's presence next to him. The deep blue colors of the sea became pitch black and the horizon looked lightyears away.

 

"Baekhyun.", he heard his deep voice trying to initiate a conversation. "I'm sorry."

 

Baekhyun smiled, and his eyes never left the scenery in front of him. "What are you sorry for?" He paused for a bit. "Your family doesn't define you entirely."

 

Chanyeol, on the contrary, couldn't take his eyes off the smaller man next to him. "I...I warned you... I tried to. I don't want you to be in trouble."

 

He heard the smaller scoff, his confusion growing intense. "You'd know this is false if you could feel my heart beat every second that passes."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

Baekhyun turned to see the man; a glorious sight. He looked so cold, not personality-wise, but just by his appearance. Everything on him looked almost unreal. 

 

"You're so beautiful, yet so dangerous, Chanyeol."

 

Chanyeol's eyes widened. He took a short while to calm himself. He had never, ever felt his cheeks heaten up before. "Baekhyun-ah..."

 

Baekhyun's eyes were teary, but he was smiling. He was smiling sweetly, enough for the world to melt. 

 

"I cannot control this." Chanyeol felt his skin tighten. He pursed his lips. "I would never want to hurt you."

 

Baekhyun looked down for a short while. "Why were we put into this situation?" He looked back at Chanyeol again. "What is it that I don't understand? Why is your family talking to me?" He formed a thin line with his lips, seeming determined to face a faux reality. "Who are you even..."

 

Chanyeol tried to approach him, but the other took a step back. To the ice cold man, the warm presence in front of him was only strangely cold.

 

"We can try to distance ourselves from each other again." Chanyeol spoke and only stared in his eyes, feeling himself withering and losing to his self.

 

Baekhyun didn't know what to say. He never understood how he felt for this man. He only knew his heart was beating drums in his ears.

 

So he only hid his face in his hands, escaping from the overwhelming eyes of the man in front of him, the ones that only dug deeper in his heart and never let go.

 

He thought the night breeze was surrounding him perfectly, pulling him into its embrace and comforting him, because never had he been so troubled before.

 

He never thought the intense eye contact and strong, powerful presence of someone could awaken something like what he was basically now; a raw mess.

 

He just wanted to fight the strange, inhumane power off of him.

 

When he looked up again, his eyes releasing the temporary blur caused by the intense closing, Chanyeol was replaced with the autumn trees and the sidewalk.

 

The man had left.

 

He had left, taking all of the extra pain away. He left Baekhyun behind. He chose freedom over the hurt Baekhyun was going through. He left determined, knowing his family's plans could not be stopped if his eyes only stopped time when they laid on Baekhyun.

 

Stopping time meant losing important time to solve the issue.

 

To fix his unfixable karma. 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

College begins.

 

Life seemed to be like a thick book, whose pages flipped rapidly, with no exceptions. Baekhyun wanted to believe he had a good time. As long as he had his friends, nothing could beat him at this game. 

 

No one. That, including extraordinary forces.

 

It had been a few days since Chanyeol disappeared. Baekhyun wouldn’t believe it, if it weren’t for that night. Chanyeol was serious; he would do anything to overcome nature.

 

This situation helped Baekhyun’s body normal again. He felt like weight had been lifted off his shoulders; not necessarily a good thing.

 

Because, no matter the indescribable pain and the feeling of nostalgia, Baekhyun had to admit many things. 

 

“I wake up and your eyes are still in my thoughts…”

 

Baekhyun was staring out of his window. The sunlight was showering his apartment with happiness. He didn’t know if  _ he  _ was happy, but he wasn’t feeling bad either.

 

“Just what are you…”

 

Not only did his apartment glow, the whole area outside did as well. It was astonishing; nature was beautiful.

 

Baekhyun picked up his bag and headed for the door. He only hoped college would be a great new beginning. 

 

His feet stopped moving as soon as he got out of the apartment. He found himself staring right in front of him, thinking of rubbing his eyes to see if it was reality, like they did in movies.

 

He had to. Because there was no way the man in front of him was Chanyeol.

 

His hair was still white, but the bright sun was kissing his skin, with a soft glow. And Chanyeol was smiling. 

 

_ He looks so...different. _

 

What was even more confusing was the bag he was carrying.  _ This is definitely weird.  _

 

“Good morning, Baekhyun.”, he said softly, a smile ghosting on his face as his eyes were focused solely on the latter.

 

It took him awhile but he responded. “Good...Good morning. Chanyeol-ah.”

 

Chanyeol looked around and then back on Baekhyun. “I know you’re confused.”

 

“Haha...you… you got me!”

 

Chanyeol laughed. He looked so beautiful.

 

“I need to talk to you. There is a lot to say.” For some reason, his eyes looked more serious at that point, like his story was of great importance. “I promise I will actually explain this time”, he smiled.

 

Baekhyun rubbed his neck and smiled back. “Yeah. I will listen.”

 

_ My heart is beating so fast, I think I’m going to die... _

 

He suddenly felt a hand ruffle his hair and he immediately looked up, only to witness Chanyeol’s incredibly perfect face from up close. 

 

_ Oh, no… I’m really going to die… _

 

And thus, he left. Baekhyun took a short moment to comprehend what had just happened only to end up questioning… Why didn’t his heart sting? Sure, it was beating fast, really fast. But he didn’t feel the pain he used to feel. His fast heartbeat felt different.

 

Something was definitely different about him this time.

 

There was no freezing cold aura, no frozen pale skin and tired blue eyes.

 

He looked so…

  
  


Human.

  
  


He couldn’t wait for Chanyeol’s explanation. 

                                                                  ---

 

“Baekhyun-ah!”

 

Jongdae was waving his hand excitedly from the other side of the road, which was right in front of their college. He walked till Jongdae was right next to him and smiled wide. “It’s time.”

 

The two ran in the road of stones that led to the door, admiring the nice greenery around them. 

 

The two boys faced each other. “Baekhyun-ah...If you ever feel like...the past again-”, started Jongdae.

 

He was cut off by his smiling friend. “I’m fine.”, Baekhyun took a big breath and smiled again, he smiled big. “I will not let anything ruin my mood again.”

 

Jongdae stared at him happily and jumped on his friend, hugging him as hard as he could. He didn’t know Chanyeol seemed like no threat anymore, that Baekhyun could finally breathe and smile again. 

 

He saw Chanyeol from a distance looking at them with an innocent face, like he was anticipating to be in college.

 

He didn’t want to believe Chanyeol had been causing pain on purpose. Perhaps something else was happening, Chanyeol wasn’t a monster.

 

On the contrary, he just wanted to blend with the other people. He wanted to study, laugh with friends and do everyday things without worrying for the nightmare his parents were probably preparing for him.

 

Not only for him, but for poor Baekhyun, who never chose this life.

 

_ Baekhyun never chose to be Chanyeol’s awful karma. _

**Author's Note:**

> I do not post very often but I try! Thank you.


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